5 Facts to Know about Our Favorite Orange Vegetable: Carrots

Did you celebrate National Carrot Day last week on April 4th?  It’s okay if you didn’t, cause we are going to celebrate it now!

We know that eating a wide range of fruits and vegetables provides us with many vitamins and minerals but we don’t always go and dive deep into each specific fruit or vegetable and the nutrient composition.  

So, I figured let’s dig a little deeper on carrots and why you should incorporate them into your diet.

Rich in Vitamin A

Carrots are packed with beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in our body.  Vitamin A is best known for being essential for healthy eyesight and maintaining good vision.  There’s more to vitamin A than that though.  It also supports growth and good health of cells and tissues all over the body, which promote skin health, reproduction, and our immune system.  

Although vitamin A deficiency is rare, if you are interested in increasing your Vitamin A intake but aren’t a lover of carrots, try including spinach, eggs, cantaloupe, fortified cereal, milk and/or sweet potatoes in your diet.  They are also packed with vitamin A!  

Source of Fiber

Carrots are a good source of dietary fiber, or what we sometimes call the roughage that is part of the plant your body can’t digest or absorb.  When we include fiber into our diet from foods like carrots, we are supporting the aid in digestion, helping maintain bowel regularity, and contributing to a feeling of fullness.

To show you the roll of carrots towards your fiber intake, think 1 cup of carrots has about 4 g of fiber with our overall goal of fiber per day being 25 g fiber for women and 38 g fiber for men.  So, carrots help us but more fiber containing foods need to be included to get to our goal!  

To learn more about getting to your fiber goals, check out our previous blog all about fiber by clicking here

Powerhouse of Antioxidants 

Carrots contain antioxidants such as beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and lutein, which help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals.  Free radicals are unstable molecules that can cause cell damage if too many accumulate in our body.  Free radicals can come from natural processes and/or the environment but with the help of antioxidants this can help reduce that load.  

All that to say carrots include antioxidants that protect us and can even more specifically can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease.

Potassium Supplier 

On the topic of heart disease, carrots are also a great source of potassium, which supports our hearts.  Within the body, potassium can support fluid balance along with sodium and can help relax the blood vessels reducing the risk of high blood pressure and other heart related diseases.  

Versatile and Convenient

 Carrots are super versatile and convenient!  Carrots can be eaten raw as a snack, boiled or baked. They can be included as a side with dinner, added into dishes like on top of salads, into a casserole or soup and even can be included in desserts (hello carrot cake!).  

You even can cut carrots in different shapes/cutting styles to make them more interesting or appealing.   

Whatever way you can add carrots into your diet, do it! As you can see (no pun intended) there are great health benefits that go along with them! Now, how will you add carrots into your diet this week?  Let us know! 

Cheers, 

Resources: 

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-Consumer/

Expect the Best: Your Guide to the Healthy Eating Before, During and After Pregnancy by Elizabeth M. Ward, MS, RD. 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270191#diet